One Step at a Time
by xXvitaminXx
Summary: Tachibana Hanako had always been able to see the souls of the dead. Hyperaware of her strange skills, Hanako denies it completely, but when she runs into a frustrated shinigami she can't ignore it anymore. Her whole life is about to change. OCx?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**

Hello Long time no see, eh? I'm back after a long year (please don't be mad). I was tied down with writing for another website for a while and I was having a massive writer's block for all my Bleach related fan fictions because I stopped watching Bleach for a while. Recently, my friend bought me the manga for Bleach which sort of sparked my interest again, pressing me to write. So, I'm back with a new one and let's hope I can get going on both of my fan fictions! Without further ado, I present you with "Learning to Love"!  
P.S. You'll have to read on for the pairing, it's ??xOC. Who is "??"? Well, read on and don't jump to conclusions  
P.P.S. By the way, just because Renji is listed as the character doesn't exactly mean he's "??". What I mean by that is that he's the one that we would think to be "??" for now. Keep reading, because Renji may or may not be "??"!

_**EDIT:**_ I also wanted to add one more thing... I'm thinking of adding more OCs to the fan fic so if you would like to be one please leave a review or e-mail me!

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**.:Hanako:.**

_Who'd have thought it? I try to help a stranger to find his way around town and in return receive the strangest gift ever. I never asked to become a shinigami. I never asked to be able to see the dead either. I guess sometimes we don't hold much power over our own destinies..._

_- - - - -_

It was late and I was regretting not having accepted Yura's offer for a ride home. The storm clouds were rolling in and I knew that I would be running around blindly in the rain in no time. I really shouldn't have been walking around alone in the streets so close to midnight. Mom would have gotten worried sick if she wasn't off on a conference in Tokyo for the week. Mom was always fussing over me, when she saw me with a boy, when I hurt myself, when I'm sick and especially when I'm late. I mean, I only came to meet her when I was nine but it never felt awkward at all between the two of us. It was like she was there all along.

I was lost, drowning in my thoughts when I heard him.

"Damn! Just where in the world _am_ I!?" an agitated voice called loudly with a grunt. My head snapped up and the first thing I noticed was spiky red hair. It took me a second to take note of the black samurai outfit and the sheath at his waist. A cosplayer? "How'd the hell am I supposed to find this place!?" I could really tell that this guy was annoyed. He didn't seem too scary from where I was so I decided to take a risk for the day and step forward.

"Excuse me, are you lost?" I asked with a friendly smile. The guy didn't seem to hear me. I stepped closer. "Excuse me," I tried again but I still got no reply. I raised my right hand and lightly tapped his shoulder. "Excuse me, are you lo-"

"WOAH!" the guy screamed and jumped back. His hand flew to the hilt of his sword and his eyes were wide with shock. Was there something on my face? "You can see me?" he demanded in what appeared to be confusion. I nodded suspiciously. "Wait, _you_ can see _me_!?" he confirmed.

"I did just talk to you didn't I?" I inquired, lost.

"You're human though?" How rude! What else could I be?

"I think you need to see a doctor," I muttered quietly to myself. "But as I was asking; are you lo-"

"It's near," the guys said in a low serious voice as he turned away from me. Alright, so I was stuck with a cosplaying psycho, I thought as I rolled my eyes. I was thinking of some smart-aleck remark to make when I heard it. A low hiss like that of a lizard from the trees. The sound was loud enough to break the disturbing silence and only lasted a second. A slight rustle, then silence... "Get down!" the redhead ordered and I obediently ducked, barely catching a glimpse of a large clawed hand that swiped across my arm.

"What _is_ that thing!?" I demanded in a flurry of panic. I was too shocked to notice the pain in my arm. I stared at the monster; at least eight feet tall. It had a white bone-like mask in the shape of a lizard's head with small slits for its thirsty crimson eyes, a large scaly tail and two enormous clawed hands. I was still frozen in place when it howled and lunged again. I had never seen anything like it before.

"Don't just stand there! _Move!_" The redhead commanded and roughly pulled me towards him, just missing another swipe to my head. "That thing's called a Hollow, it's an evil spirit that feasts upon other souls and humans with high levels of spiritual energy. You can see it correct?" I was too stricken to reply so I nodded, jaw hanging open. "Then, I believe it was looking for you," he explained as he angled himself so that he was standing between me and the Hollow. "My job as a shinigami is to vanquish the Hollows as well as to help other spirits pass on safely."

"Shinigami?" I squeaked. The guy turned his head to me. "How come they can't see it?" I asked, indicating a couple walking down the trail about a dozen feet from us. "Why isn't it going after them?" I inquired in a tiny mouse-like voice.

"You can see souls can't you?" Well, yes. But I'm in denial, if I leave them be they should too. "It means you have a higher level of spiritual energy than other humans. Also, it won't go after them because- Umph!" the shinigami grunted as he deflected an attack from the charging Hollow. "Hollows attack opportunistically, meaning that you're the one it's after." I always knew it wasn't normal, being able to see these invisible people nobody else saw but I never thought that there would be evil ones...

"Shinigami, watch out!" I shrieked as it came up from his right. The shinigami lifted me into his arms and jumped to dodge it.

"Damn it, I can't fight while carrying you at the same time!" he fumed in frustration. Gee, well I'm sorry for being attacked by some evil spirit, I thought sarcastically. I was surprised I even had time to be bothered by that comment in such a life-or-death situation. I didn't even have time to warn him when I saw the Hollow's tail swing at his back. The shinigami lost his footing and fell back, with me slipping forwards, out of his arms. The pavement was hard against my back and by the time I scrambled to my feet it was too late. The Hollow was coming at me with its teeth bared. I shut my eyes in horror and waited for the pain to come...

_CRUNCH!_

I opened my eyes at the disturbing noise and saw the shinigami before me and the Hollow's teeth clamped around his right shoulder. The Hollow had also been wounded by his blade and drew back, throwing the shinigami to the ground.

"Shinigami!" I cried out in panic and rushed to his side. I pulled him up so that he was leaning against the nearby bench. "Are you alright? I'm so sorry, this is all my fault isn't it!?"

"It's too late now." he said quietly with his eyes closed, wincing in pain. "It's only a matter of time before we both become its meal. There's nothing more I can do..." He groaned in pain. Suddenly his eyes snapped open at an idea. The idea that changed my life. "Unless..." The shinigami's eyes locked on to me. There was something I could do.

"Unless?" I pressed. "Just tell me, I'll do anything!" I sputtered in a rush.

"You must become a shinigami yourself."

"I can't-"

"Yes, you can!" the shinigami pressed. "It's the only chance we have!" I didn't have the time to think it over, I needed to react on a whim.

"I'll do it, shinigami," I said with a firm resolve. "Just tell me what to do."

"Place the end of my zanpakuto over your heart. I'll transfer a bit of my powers to you, temporarily giving you the powers of a shinigami. Oh, and by the way, my name isn't "shinigami", it's Abarai Renji." He grinned.

"Tachibana Hanako. Pray this won't be our last meeting, Renji-kun," I returned the grin as I led the end of the katana over my heart.

"Ready?" I could hear the Hollow coming at us again.

"Let's do this." the pain was sharp and quick and in that short instant I felt something new in my veins. An ancestral power that was very familiar yet new to me. When I opened my eyes the Hollow was just a few feet from me. I drew my katana and swung towards its arm, severing it completely.

Renji whistled. "Not bad for a newbie." The Hollow screeched in pain before lunging again. "Aim for the head!" Renji shouted and I raised the sword as high as possible and brought it down on to its mask when the Hollow was near. I was shoved back from the impact but the Hollow, reduced to dust, blew away with the breeze. I scoffed before realizing how exhausted I was. I dropped my sword and my arms dangled limply and uselessly at my sides, my knees buckled and I felt myself falling but a pair of strong hands supported me and I was strapped onto somebody's back.

"Is it over?" I asked with my eyes closed.

"It's over. Well done, Tachibana Hanako." With that the world fell away from me and I plunged into the darkness of sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**.:Author's Note:.**

To be honest, I was disappointed by the lack of feedback for my last chapter... T.T I'll try harder for more readers! Also on my website and on my profile I have a detailed profile sheet of Hanako. I would advise you look at it on my website though, since it has a picture. My website's URL can be found on my profile/bio. Please read and review!  
_Reige:_ Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate the tip! In response to your question, this is (so far) set quite a while _before_ the Soul Society arc, before Rukia meets Ichigo. And yes, I did mimic how Rukia met Ichigo. I actually wanted almost the same thing XD

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**.:Hanako:.**

_Bleep bleep! Bleep bleep!_

I groggily reached out and slammed down on the Snooze button of my alarm clock. My lessons were in the afternoon and I could afford to sleep in since it was only ten anyways. I sighed happily as I slunk back into the comfort and warmth of my duvet. It was good to be in my own bed. Wait... My bed? _My_ bed? As in the one in _my_ house in _my_ room!? My eyes snapped open and my head jerked up. Just how did I get home?

I rubbed my eyes violently, willing for the morning blur to disappear. Was it all just a dream? Did I just hit my head too hard when I tripped at Miyabi's birthday party last night? I sat up and was about to get up when my fingers brushed something warm, like another arm. My eyes widened and I stared at the owner of the arm for a bit, waiting for my memories to flood back. Long spiky red hair, tattoos, samurai gear... Abarai Renji!

"Kya!" I shrieked in surprise.

"Wha-?" the shinigami jumped up, disoriented. "Where's the fire?" he inquired, rubbing his eyes.

"What are you doing in my bed!?" I demanded as I shoved a pillow at his face.

"Well, that's a wonderful way to thank someone who carried you unconscious body home!" Renji spat as he pulled the pillow off his face and tossed it back onto my bed. "Speaking of which..." I followed the invisible line of his finger with my eyes to a slumped figure in my lounge chair. Wasn't that me?

"What?" I said in confusion. "How can I be over there? I mean I'm right he-" I noticed that I was wearing the same shinigami outfit as Renji. "Um... Please, elaborate?"

"Well, your soul can't seem to get back into your body..." Renji muttered as he stretched. Well, I've noticed that much... "I think it's because you can't control your reiatsu."

"My what?" I inquired, baffled.

"Your spirit energy. If you could tone down a little on the spirit energy it might be easier for you to get back in your body," Renji stated. "Seriously, with the amount of reiatsu you're emitting right now, I could sense you within a five-mile radius!" I just nodded, how am I supposed to know how much rei-whatever I'm emitting?

"So, how do I do that?" I asked, eager to get back into my own body.

"Can't you tell how much spirit energy you're using up?" the shinigami demanded in a ridiculous tone. I stared at him blankly. "You don't feel it? At all?" I shook my head. "Come on, just try to concentrate!" Renji pleaded.

"I don't know what to concentrate on!" I replied in frustration. "Besides, it's-" I paused, interrupted by what seemed to be a ripple in the air. No, not the air. Was this the 'reiatsu' that Renji was speaking of? It was soon followed by a muffled roar from away but I didn't need to hear that to feel that the energy wasn't mine.

"Forget it for now, we have a job to do," Renji said as he flipped open his cellphone. Who knew that shinigami carried cellphones? "Hollow will appear at the dolphin fountain at ten thirty, plus or minus five minutes."

"How do you know this stuff?" I asked as I followed Renji to my balcony. "Wait, you plan on jumping down from the tenth floor?" I demanded, outrageously. "You have got to be kidding me."

"I'm not jumping _down_, I'm jumping _across_," the redheaded shinigami corrected as he flung one glass pane to the side, opening the glass door to the outside. Renji yanked me by the wrist and shut the glass door behind me. "We're going to have to leave your body for a while. Not that I think it'll- you'll be in any danger."

"I have to jump too?" I asked in horror as Renji tugged against my wrist again. "I'm only human, I'm going to die-!"

"How in the world do you call yourself human in that form?" Renji asked sarcastically. "I swear it won't kill you. Just try to jump..." He paused to scan the horizon. "See that building over there? Try to jump to the roof of it." My new shinigami friend was pointing at a building on the other side of the street.

"That's about twenty feet away, I can't jump that fa-" But Renji didn't plan on listening to me and sprang off from my balcony with me in tow. I winced as the floor disappeared from beneath my feet and I felt the rush of being in free fall. It didn't last long, my feet soon found a solid surface to hang on to and I found myself on the opposite building.

"Did that kill you?" A rhetorical question, I don't see why he had to ask. I frowned and grumbled a 'No'.

The trip to the fountain was more or less silent until we arrived about two minutes ahead of schedule and Renji made what seemed like an absurd suggestion.

"Why don't you ask for its name?" Renji asked as he nudged his head in the direction of the zanpakuto (as he called it) at my waist. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, it has a name. This," he drew his own zanpakuto, "is Zabimaru."

"What do you suggest I do? Just ask; What's your name?" I said sarcastically.

"Gee! I was wondering if you'd ever ask!" a young girl's (mezzo)soprano voice rang in my head. The girl giggled and continued, "I'm Kaze, short for Kaze no Arashi. Let's get along from now on, Hana-chan!"

When my eyes widened at the shock of really hearing a voice, Renji smirked and took an educated guess of what had come to happen. "So what did it say?"

"H-her name's is K-Kaze," I stuttered in shock.

"Wind-based, huh?" Renji muttered to himself. "Why don't you try releasing your zanpakuto for this fight. I'm doubtful whether it would work or not but it never hurts to try."

"Release?" I repeated in confusion.

"Yeah, you should!" Kaze squealed excitedly in my head. "Do it! Do it now!" she exclaimed. I didn't even know how.

"There's a command-" I cut Renji off with a phrase that flashed through my mind.

"Rush, Kaze no Arashi!" I felt a gust of wind surround me instantaneously and the hilt of the sword suddenly changed into a marble-like rod and the blade shrank to the head of a spear. The gale faded away from me, leaving a ring of discarded leaves at my feet. "Woah..." I said, speechless as I gawked at the elegant spear in my hands.

"How did you-?" Renji demanded, apparently he was equally surprised as I am. "You- It's been less than twenty-four hours! What _are_ you?" he said, his eyes wide. I frowned at him and was about to protest when the Hollow roared. "Get rea- You know what, I'll let you take care of this one. I'm tired of fighting Hollows twenty-four-seven." Renji crossed hi arms and sat down with his back to me.

"Huh? What!?" I didn't have much time to say much more since the Hollow wasn't planning on waiting for me to strike first. I was thankful for the long reach of the spear since without it I would have been mashed to a pulp by the large fist. I deflected its punch and swiftly sashayed to my right. Taking the opening to its side I stabbed the pointed bottom end of Kaze and pivoted my body around it, kicking into its side.

Renji looked back then faked a yawn before turning back around with a "Hmph". I turned away, irritated and decided to take my frustration out on the stupid Hollow. It was all its fault that I was locked out of my own body! Stupid Hollow! I let out a grunt of irritation before the Hollow came at me again. Stupid, relentless, annoying Hollow! I pointed the tip of Kaze at the Hollow's forehead and drove it in the mask and flung the head of the spear down, neatly dividing the mask in perfect halves.

"You lazy bum! This is _your_ job I'm doing!" I fumed as I briskly walked over and placed my hands under his arms and attempted to heave him up. "Hya!" I pulled. "Why are you so heavy?" I whined as I tried again. He did not budge at all. "Renji-kun, you must be extremely fat!" I exclaimed jokingly.

"It's all muscle! Don't you know muscle weighs more than fat!?" Renji shouted as he stood up abruptly.

- - - - -

I was able to get back to my body that day but I did miss the first twenty minutes of my lesson. I knew it had to happen but I guess I wanted to avoid it. Saying 'Goodbye', I mean. Later on that day, Renji and I returned to the park where we first met and exchanged our farewells.

"I have to admit, you'll make a formidable shinigami in your next life," Renji said as he pat me on the head, I was so little that I didn't even clear his shoulders. "Not that I want to see you in Soul Society anytime soon!" he laughed.

"Well, you never know!" I joked. "I hope I don't see you for another good sixty years!" I giggled and Renji laughed along.

"Well, then... I leave the Hollow hunting and soul reaping up to you. Kudos, hats off to ya Tachibana for doing pretty well as a shinigami." Renji tipped his invisible hat with a grin. "Though I hope you won't have too many instances where you need to fight Hollows yourself, with all this trouble you have getting back to your body and all." He smirked.

"This Hollow hunting thing is really tiring! I hope I won't have to do too much of it either!" I agreed loudly, earning a strange looks from the citizens as they walked by and were capable of seeing and hearing only me. "Thanks, Renji."

"For what? Getting you involved with Hollows and spirits?" my new friend asked, ridiculed by my thanks.

"No, for putting a more exciting edge to my boring life," I said with a smile. "I'll see you in a few decades." I smiled and waved slightly.

"Sixty years at the least, eh Tachibana?" The shinigami straightened his back. "As your mentor shinigami I, Abarai Renji, forbid you, Tachibana Hanako, from dying before the sixty years time quota!" he said in a commanding tone.

"Yes sir!" I saluted.

"Well, see ya."

"Yeah... Bye." _Don't worry Renji, I never had plans to die to quickly. I myself have dreams to fulfill and intentions to live life to its fullest. See you. I won't forget you my shinigami friend. Also, when you come to reap my soul when I'm old and senile I'll try not to give you too hard of a time.  
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**.:Author's Note:.**

The end of our shallow, not too implied, short lived RenjiXHana pairing. Who's next and what's next to come, I wonder? Here's a preview...

_This was the new girl in my class? She's... dead? No, it can't be her. Hanako is alive and well, I just saw her this morning! How come this shinigami looks so much like her? Just what is going on here?_

_"Ichigo-kun!" the shinigami turned with a wide grin. "I see you discovered my secret!"_


End file.
